


It Was Inevitable

by orphan_account



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Foldaway Beds, Instant Foods, M/M, Oral, Smut, Snowed in at a Cabin Trope, Tumblr list prompt, challenged by simulacraryn, cuddling for warmth, no plot to be found, she has all the good ideas, where oh where could you be Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 06:17:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Out in the middle of nowhere. No phone signal. No one around for miles.Yet somehow, Duo doesn't mind.Or, the one where Duo and Wufei pass the time listening to nineties music, thumb wrestling, eating bad instant noodles, and tiptoeing around the elephant in the room.





	It Was Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [simulacraryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simulacraryn/gifts).



“Shit.” Duo looked out the window at the swirls of white flurries coming down, burying their car in another deep drift. The dead engine guaranteed they weren’t going anywhere for at least another twelve hours, or however long it took Heero to make it up the hill in this shitstorm. “Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while…”

Wufei sighed heavily as he dried his hair with the worn, questionable smelling towel. They managed to make their way on the last of their gas, but the engine light came on, and even though they found a gas can that was half full in the cabin’s garage, the car wouldn’t cooperate. The two of them spent an hour trying to get the car to start, before the bitter cold drove them inside.

“He said he was on his way?”

“That’s what he said. Might as well settle in,” Duo grumbled as he went to the kitchen to rummage through the grimy cabinets. They managed to light the small space heater, and their wet coats, scarves, hats and gloves hung over the side of the battered couch to dry. Wufei took his turn first in the shower; the water smelled slightly rusty, but at least it was hot and it chased the chill from his bones. He was glad they made it to shelter before either of them caught frostbite. 

Both of them were dressed in their sweatpants and thermal shirts. Duo’s hair was still in its usual braid, but damp, slovenly strands hung around his face and worked their way loose from it’s careful weaving. Duo sneezed, irritated that now he was probably going to get sick, too. Great. All the way out in Easthill Bumfuck without any cold medicine.

“Is there anything to eat?”

“Barely. There’s Cup O’Noodles, if you want it.”

“Just one?”

“Yeah.”

“We could split it,” ‘Fei offered.

“You could have it. I’ll see if there’s anything else.”

“If there’s not, then that’s dinner for two,” Wufei pressed. “We both need something to warm us up, Maxwell. Don’t be a hero.”

“Pfffft…” Duo kept rummaging. “There’s a can of stew that looks older than my library card. It might be edible.”

“We can share that tomorrow,” Wufei considered.

“Or never.” Duo kept going through the cabinets. “Okay. Granola bars. Yes!”

“Okay. It could be worse.”

“Ew. Never mind.” Duo made a face at the sight of one of the bars that was crawling with little mealy bugs. “The critters already got into ‘em, ‘Fei. Sorry I got your hopes up.”

“Throw them out,” Wufei suggested. “No sense in risking it.”

Duo found a small aluminum pot in the lower cabinet and boiled some water for the noodles. Wufei huddled on the couch under a poor excuse for a blanket, shivering. “You okay, ‘Fei?”

“M’cold. S’fucking cold in here. Can’t get warm.”

“Your hair is still wet,” Duo reminded him. 

“Don’t remind me,” Wufei told him, chattering a little.

“Geez,” Duo muttered. He hated hearing him like that, edgy and uncomfortable. Duo willed the water to boil faster, which of course it didn’t. He peeled back the lid of the cup and found a fork in the drawer, getting it ready for his water. At least they would eat that night, but now they needed to figure out how to stay warm.

Minutes later, Duo brought over the cup, which warmed his face with its steam. “Bon appetite,” he told ‘Fei. “This might help. He sat down beside him on the couch, and Wufei automatically handed him some of the blanket, flipping half of it over Duo’s lap. Before they could negotiate the space between them, Duo found himself crowded close to Wufei, who was still shivering.

“M’still cold,” ‘Fei complained.

“Sorry. S’no biggie. Here. Eat.”

They passed the cup between them, and they sat smooshed close, shoulders and thighs flush against each other, sharing what little warmth they possessed under the pitiful blanket. Wufei smelled good, Duo noticed, like the cheap shampoo he’d used and fabric softener. And his skin, which had that male scent and a hint of something spicy that was distinctive to Duo’s friend and longtime work partner. Duo liked watching Wufei eat, watching the way his cheeks hollowed slightly as he sucked up a mouthful of noodles. The space heater finally started to warm the room, and Wufei shivered a little less. But he was still tense beside Duo, who bumped him playfully.

“Get comfy. Or at least try.”

“This isn’t ideal.”

“Nope. Can’t do anything about it, though.”

Wufei surveyed the cabin. They wandered around earlier and found the working shower and toilet, but the bedroom… wasn’t impressive. The mattress was bare and had a questionable stain (and aroma). That led to their decision to stay on the couch for the night. The small, threadbare, lumpy couch that was barely long enough for one of them to stretch out on it, let alone two. If Wufei had to sleep sitting up, straight as a board, he would, Duo knew. But… still.

_Still_.

“Want some music?”

“What’ve you got?”

“My very old iPod,” Duo told him. “Got the charger cable, too.” His phone, unfortunately, lost its signal once the storm grew in intensity. They really were stuck. Duo fished it out of its duffel and turned it on, tapping up the volume. Mournful keyboards and synth pumped out from it, and Frank Ocean’s soft tenor soared over it.

“What is this?” Wufei asked.

“Seigfried,” Duo told him.

“He’s got such a weird style,” Wufei said.

“I know. But it grows on you.”

And it really did. The song was mellow and seemed to float around him, and bit by bit, Wufei’s muscles relaxed, tension bleeding out of them as he slumped against Duo. They were warm, they were no longer starved, and there were certainly worse people Wufei could be stuck with.

“Thumb wrestle you for the couch? Loser has to take the bed?” Duo challenged as he brandished his fist, thumb extended. His violet eyes twinkled with his intent to beat him in one match.

Wufei’s lips twisted up into a grin that was _completely_ out of character, and he reached out and linked fingers with Duo. “Bring it, Maxwell.”

“One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb WAR! GO!” And in that moment, Duo felt Wufei's muscles in his entire arm tense and lock like a live wire. It hit him that this wasn't going to be an easy contest, and for some ridiculous, unfathomable reason, that thrilled Duo.

Wufei, the one officer in Duo’s unit who never took a sick day, wrote his name on the coffee creamer he brought from home in a Sharpie, and whose reports never had a single typo, was an avid thumb wrestling enthusiast. Duo was amazed at the dexterity of Wufei’s thumb when, after the prerequisite warm-up flexes, he managed to pin Duo’s thumb right over the first knuckle.

“Wait… WHAT??? No fair! I demand a rematch.”

Wufei’s calm smugness made Duo want to kick him. He did _not_ want to sleep on that crunchy mattress and go back to work in a couple of days with a staph infection. “Hey. I can't help it if i’m just a more seasoned opponent.”

“Like heck, buddy. You’re not getting the drop on me. Set it up again.” They linked hands again, and Wufei chanted the count this time. There was a longer struggle, but Wufei twisted his thumb impressively and pinned Duo’s thumb again. They were still huddled under the blanket, legs bumped together, and the wrestling match kept tugging them closer together.

Wufei could see the pores over Duo’s upper lip, where the barest hint of stubble wanted to grow. He had a firm mouth when he wasn't smiling, and a sharp jawline that saved him from being pretty. Wufei knew he shouldn't have been looking at his mouth. His dark eyes flitted back to their joined hands. Duo’s were invitingly warm, and certainly strong, but Wufei managed to beat him a third time.

“HONESTLY?”

Wufei sniggered, trying to bite his lip against it as he released Duo’s hand. Duo pouted and crouched under the blanket, looking implacable and annoyed.

“The bed might not be that bad if you flip the mattress,” Wufei offered.

“Sure. MRSA on one side, and bed bugs on the other, no doubt.”

And Wufei, for his part, had no intention of letting Duo sleep on the icky-smelling bed. “Think there’s any chance of this thing folding out, or is that wishful thinking?”

Duo’s eyes lit up with that possibility. As one, they lunged up from the couch and tossed aside the cushions and the ratty blanket, feeling the springs underneath.

“Hey!” Duo managed to wrap his hand around the interior frame and pulled it out, unfolding the collapsible mattress underneath. “Oh, thank the Lord!” Duo immediately crawled over it, bouncing on it experimentally. There was even a sheet on it already, even though Duo had his misgivings about that, too. But they had a space big enough for two to sleep somewhat comfortably for the night.

“Move over,” Wufei muttered. “You’re skinny, Maxwell, but don’t hog the whole bed.”

Duo stuck out his tongue and spread out the blanket. The space heater whistled and hummed from across the room, but Duo could still feel slight drafts coming in through the cracks around the door and windows. Wufei went back into the hall closet and managed to find some old towels, which they stuffed into the sills and around the door jamb to preserve their warmth. It would have to do. Wufei even found a battered quilt that was relatively unstained, if a little threadbare.

“Good enough,” Duo pronounced. They crawled under the covers, leaving a courteous six-inch gap between them. “Want me to turn that off?” he said, nodding to the iPod.

“No. It’s… it’s fine.” 

“Sometimes, I listen to it when I’m falling asleep. Helps.”

“I like white noise. Sometimes I turn on a fan,” Wufei confessed. “Kinda does the same thing.”

More Frank Ocean wafted out from the small device, followed by surprising amounts of old nineties grunge. “Isn’t this Temple of the Dog?”

“Uh-huh.”

“God. I haven’t heard this in forever.” Wufei hummed the chorus of “Hunger Strike” in his pleasant baritone. Duo’s brows drew together. He never heard Wufei sing before, or even be this relaxed with him. His dark, glossy locks of hair fanned out over the hard mattress, and the sight of it tempted Duo; his fingers itched with the urge to touch it, but he refrained. His profile was elegant and strong; his hairline had a slight widow’s peak, and in the low light of the room, his skin looked creamy and fair, except for a few tiny moles under his eyes.

Duo’s inner voice warned him to stop staring, but just as he turned away, Wufei’s voice brought him back. “You don’t snore, do you?”

“That’s… that’s not something I just happen to _know_ , ‘Fei.”

“No one’s ever told you that you do?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Then maybe you don’t.”

“I’ll try not to keep you awake.”

Duo’s voice sounded slightly huffy. Wufei wasn’t sure if he wanted to be pacified or not.

“You wouldn’t be the only thing keeping me awake. We’re trapped in the middle of nowhere, in a cabin that could just about be condemned, the car’s not running, our phones have no signal and might not until the weather clears, and-”

“Okay. I get it.”

Wufei sighed. “I don’t sleep easily anyway. On most nights. So. It wouldn’t be your fault, is what I guess I’m saying. Okay?”

“Yeah? Well, if I toss and turn a lot, I’m sorry in advance. When I’m home, I’m kind of a night owl.”

“Netflix?”

“Roku stick.”

“Nice.”

“I have a Netflix account, too, though.”

“What do you watch?”

“You don’t even wanna know.”

Wufei’s eyes crinkled in anticipation. “What? C’mon. Tell me.”

“Anne with an ‘E.’”

“Seriously?”

“Dude. It’s _excellent_. It’s so dark. You know how fluffy the original movies used to be?”

“Meilan said she read the books. They looked pretty saccharine.”

“Oh, they totally were. Sister Helen had the whole collection, and she would let us watch the movies sometimes. The show is nothing like them. Same plot and dialogue, but just… you’ve gotta watch one of these days. It’s intense. It doesn’t gloss over anything, and it really pays homage to the time and place where everything happened.”

“Wow. You went all ‘Siskel and Ebert’ for a minute, there.”

“I just like that show! Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not, I’m not!” But Wufei’s chest shook with silent giggles. Duo managed to give him a light kick under the covers. “HEY! Be nice!”

“Talking smack about my show,” Duo muttered, but a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

Duo leaned over and turned down the volume on his iPod, and he eventually got up and turned off the lamp with its bare bulb, plunging the room into darkness before he sank back down onto the couch. Wufei listened to the noisy springs and knew the damned couch would creak and shift with every movement Maxwell made, but there was no help for it. 

They tried to sleep. At first.

Duo focused on the music, on the stirring vocals of Alice in Chains’ “If.”

“Singles soundtrack,” Wufei murmured, yawning and turning to snuggle under the covers.

“It was so great.” Duo’s voice was slightly hoarse. 

“Yeah. It was.” 

Duo drifted off. He continued to keep those polite six inches between them. He heard Wufei stretching and wiggling to take some of his weight off of his shoulder, and he sighed under his breath.

His body gradually curled into a ‘C’, with his fists tucked under his chin. He felt himself edging toward the warm presence beside him.

Warm. Solid.

The center of the couch’s makeshift mattress had a slight dip in it from long-term use. Gravity tugged the two occupants trying to remain on its perimeter toward the chasm. Each time Duo’s own positioning or the low creak of the springs woke Duo, wrenching him from shallow sleep, he became aware of the warmth. Of a strong calf. A hard ankle. The smooth pit of a bent knee, skin smooth as velvet.

Duo heard the wind howling in snatches, battling for dominance of his subconscious with Primus’ “Mr. Krinkle.” His hand found soft, waffle-knit thermal pushed up over more smooth skin in the dark, beneath the tangled covers. Duo sighed as the source of comfort pushed itself closer, and he felt a tug on his hand. His arm closed itself around the warmth, and he burrowed his face into the sweet, herbal-smelling, satiny softness that tickled his nose and lips.

The bed felt hard beneath him, but his body wrapped itself around something cushiony and warm that chased the chill from his bones. 

Wufei was pliant, content to let himself be tugged back into that warmth. He felt safe, no longer shivering. One of his feet was trapped between two hard objects that felt strangely like ankles. He sighed in his sleep, and it was a contented sound. Hot, soft breaths gusted over the crest of his shoulder. His hips wiggled more deeply back into the source of the heat.

...aaaaaaand that’s how Duo woke up with the king of all boners.

*

_Shit._ Duo’s eyes cracked open in the dark. He couldn’t see a clock from where he was, but his body told him it was the middle of the night. The arm he was lying on felt mostly dead. HIs other arm, on the other hand, was faintly cramped, wrapped around Wufei’s ribcage. Very firmly, as a matter of fact. And his hand was trapped in Wufei’s slumbering, but still snug, grip. Palm flush against his heartbeat.

Wufei wiggled his butt back against him. His whole body was curled back against Duo’s, like a perfect spoon. Duo suppressed the groan that forced its way up from his chest, holding his breath. Waiting for Wufei to gather some awareness of their predicament and wake up.

That butt thrust back against Duo, a hot, supple curve and woke him _completely_ and threw his good intentions out the window. He closed his eyes in pleasure at the feel of him in his arms, letting himself process the experience. That compact, graceful body made his hands itch to explore it, but he contained that urge again, and simply allowed himself to breathe in the scent of his hair. Just for a minute, he told himself as he slowly dropped off again…

...he woke again at the feel of Wufei’s questing hand sliding down over his thigh. Squeezing it and tracing the contour of his muscle.

Duo’s voice sounded strange to his own ears. Strained. “Fei?”

“That… that _is_ you.”

“Yeah. Kinda is.”

Duo held very still, coaching his fingers, still pressed against Wufei’s chest, not to explore its hard planes.

“Is this weird for you right now?”

Duo closed his eyes and braced himself. “A little.”

“Bad weird?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“You’re hard right now, aren’t you?”

Duo nodded, knowing Wufei probably felt the motion, since his face was still resting against his hair. “Uh-huh.”

Wufei’s hand, still curled around Duo’s thigh, stroked him through the thin flannel of his pajama pants. “At least I’m not the only one,” he confessed. His voice was gritty with interrupted sleep and what sounded a lot like arousal.

“Do you want me to take the bed back there?”

“No.”

“I could, if-”

“Maxwell. No.” Duo heard him exhale a shaky breath to steel himself. Then, “The only thing you’re going to take right now is _me_.”

Duo’s heart was already pounding with the reality of their situation, their positions and compromising closeness, but his body came alive with Wufei’s words and the way he stroked his thigh again, this time blatantly possessively and exploring its slope. His arm reached back to allow him to slide his hand up to Duo’s hard, narrow hip, giving it a squeeze of invitation, and Duo’s pelvis rocked forward in response, grinding his tortured, neglected erection against ‘Fei’s ass. Duo’s breath shuddered as it left him, and he bowed his head, finally realizing that he could kiss the curve of that shoulder and sweep aside the hair obscuring that smooth, pale neck.

Wufei’s body woke up beneath his hands. He felt hot against Duo as he craned his neck around slightly, giving Duo better access to kiss the line of his cheekbone and a delicate trail down the side of his throat. 

It wasn’t what they planned, but it wasn’t off the table.

Wufei released Duo’s hand so he could reach up and cup Duo’s nape and better lean into those hot kisses mouthing over his flesh. Duo was stroking his torso hungrily, easing beneath the hem of Wufei’s shirt to caress the warm, smooth skin he exposed, memorizing the feel of his rippling muscles. It was a pleasure to hold him - to _experience_ him - and listen to those low, pleased sounds he made, husky requests for more.

The body in Duo’s arms shift, twisting around until those lips were kissing him back, hard, nipping kisses, and Wufei’s hands wrapped around Duo’s waist this time, skimming over the line of his ribcage. Duo moaned into his mouth. It had been too long since he’d been caressed, groped, or kissed by someone who knew what they were doing - hell, it had been forever since he had this much time to kill, in a nice, dark room without worrying about who else might be listening in on the other side of the wall. If this was the length Duo had to go to be alone with Wufei, and if this was the only way they could both let their guard down to give in to what lay between them, then so be it. Duo was _so_ on board.

Duo found himself rolled onto his back, felt Wufei covering his body with his, and the mattress springs groaned beneath them in protest, but Duo didn’t care. Wufei ground down against his erection and drank kisses from his mouth, hands framing his face and tangling in his hair. Duo squeezed that ass, encouraging him to continue to rut against him and find a rhythm they both liked. Wufei’s hair fell forward into both of their faces, tickling Duo’s cheeks, and he stroked it back, pleased with how silky and rich it felt sliding between his fingers.

“Need to see you,” Wufei murmured as he tugged up Duo’s shirt. It was rucked up under his back, and Duo was glad to shed it if it meant more contact, and that Wufei would join him in being bare. He didnt’ want any barriers between them, and his mind short-circuited when Wufei knelt above him, straddling his hips, just long enough to reach overhead and drag off his own shirt in one smooth motion. His hair fell back down to his bare shoulders, and Duo was stunned into appreciative silence.

God, he was beautiful. Stunning. That skin. Those sculpted muscles. The small dip of his navel and the dents of his hips revealed by the sagging waistband of his pajamas.

“Shit.”

Wufei gave him a knowing smile and bent back down to kiss him. They rolled and shifted, tongues tangling until the rest of their clothes disappeared over the side of the mattress. It creaked, and creaked, and _creaked_.

“C’mere,” Duo urged. His voice was a thick, desperate rasp.

“What?”

“Come up here. Come up to my mouth.” Wufei was still straddling him, and Duo smiled wickedly up at him as he eased himself south, until he was face to face with Wufei’s swollen cock. Understanding dawned in Wufei’s eyes, and they shuttered as Duo leaned forward and engulfed him. Duo enjoyed the vantage point of watching him as he bobbed his head up and back. He gripped Wufei’s hips and consumed him, groaning at how good he tasted. Wufei’s fingers reached down and tangled themselves in Duo’s hair and ‘Fei tipped his head back, letting his hips gently rock him into that lush heat. 

He was close; Duo tasted the salty evidence that it wouldn’t take much more to push him over the edge. Wufei eased himself back and dismounted from his perch above Duo’s face. That gorgeous, lax face that was staring up at him, drowsy with pleasure. Slightly smug.

“That was pushing it, Maxwell.”

“That was the point, ‘Fei.”

“Give me a minute. I saw something… hold on. Okay? Hold on.” Wufei lunged off the couch and practically galloped off to the bathroom. Duo huffed in amusement and got up himself to retrieve his wallet. He rummaged within its folds while he listened to Wufei slamming open the medicine cabinet, just as much of a rusted wreck as the rest of the cabin. He came back and brandished a small, mostly used up yellow tub of Vaseline.

“Sweet,” Duo murmured. He laid back amongst the mussed sheets and held up the condom packet between his two fingers, waggling it at ‘Fei.

‘Fei’s eyes darkened with desire, and he reached for Duo again, letting their bodies mesh together once more.

The music filled the space around them. Duo’s fingers, slick with the Vaseline, slowly prepared ‘Fei and pulled low hisses and groans of pleasure from him while Duo kissed him as though he would never stop. He was snug and inviting, and when Duo finally covered his body with his own and pushed himself into ‘Fei’s welcoming heat, he felt something between them lock into place, and the knowledge that this moment between them finally happened after so long threw him completely off-balance. He was inside him, holding him, sharing drugging kisses and listening to Wufei grate out his name with so much passion. Duo wondered if this was the best dream he ever had come to life.

And if Faith No More’s rendition of “War Pigs” perhaps wasn’t the most romantic score to the first time they had sex, at least the bridge of the song hit just as Duo reached his climax. Duo rocked himself into him, face buried in the side of ‘Fei’s neck, and he felt Wufei reach his completion, erupting and coating them both in his hot, sticky seed. Moments later, Duo followed him into bliss.

He might have dozed. He woke from his daze to the feeling of ‘Fei’s hands stroking his hair and caressing his back, and his cheek felt slightly stuck to ‘Fei’s chest as he shifted himself.

“Wow.” His voice was bleary but awed.

“Stay warm. Get in here.” Wufei managed to wrap them both back in the blankets, where they basked for a few minutes, skin on skin, just listening to each other breathe.

“Are you warm now?”

“Really, Maxwell?” Wufei chuckled, and Duo smiled against his skin. Wufei didn’t kick him out of bed, so. Win-win.

“Hey. Is this okay?”

“We can work through the inevitable second-guessing and whether or not it was a lapse in judgment tomorrow. But we had sex,” Wufei told him simply. “We’re adults. We can do that.”

_We work together._ Duo knew he was projecting this thoughts.

“We don’t have to tell Heero, if you don’t want,” Wufei offered.

Duo snorted. “He’ll guess. Nothing gets by that guy. That’s why he’s so good at this job.”

“Well. I just thought I’d throw that out there.”

Duo sighed. Wufei squeezed him and kissed his brow. 

“Promise me you won’t overthink it, Maxwell?”

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be telling you?”

“Let me finish enjoying the afterglow.”

“I can do that.”

“Good. Want your shirt?”

The room was getting slightly chilly again. “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind.”

And it was gratifying, once they hurried back into their pajamas and hunkered back down under the covers, that Wufei pulled Duo back into his embrace. They ended up back inside the dip of the mattress by morning, waking with various muscle aches and cramps, but Wufei’s smile was drowsy and pleased when Duo woke up in his arms, this time. Duo’s face mirrored it when he pulled him down for kisses that flew in the face of his previous misgivings.

And if Heero noticed anything when he finally showed up to help them get the engine running again, he said nothing; he raised his eyebrow briefly at the rumpled bedclothes on the foldout couch and grumbled at them to pack their things and make sure they didn’t miss anything.


End file.
